Clothes-line stretcher



C JOHNSON.

CLOTHES LINE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.2s.191s.

Patemad Iviay 2?, 1919 ms NORRIS FsrEHs 60.. PMm'c-unm WASHINGTON, uv

CHARLES JOHNSON, OF AKRON, NEW YORK.

CLOTHES-LINE STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 191%.

Application filed. August 23, 1916. Serial No. 116,410.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES JOHNSON, an Indian of the Seneca tribe, residing at Akron, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes lines holders and supports and has for its object the provision of novel means for adjustably supporting clothes lines so that the tension on the said lines may be increased or diminished.

A further object of this invention is to produce clothes line supports which may be readily set in place or removed, thus making the same available for use in cities where the area occupied by the clothes lines is restricted and making it possible to set up and remove the clothes lines at will, so that when the clothes lines are not in use, the space usually occupied by the same may be cleared for other purposes.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 illustrates a view in elevation of the clothes lines supports embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 illustrates a view in elevation of the front of the clothes line supporting member;

Fig. 4 illustrates a view in elevation of an intermediate prop or support; and r Fig. 5 illustrates a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

As the two end clothes line supporting members are identical structures, a description of one of them will suffice as a disclosure of the construction of both and hence a description of one of these devices will follow in the singular. I

The base 6 of one of the end line supporting members is of such length as to constitute a support which will, to a great extent prevent tipping of the device, although in practice, the outer end of the base may be anchored in any appropriate manner as by staples driven in the ground or by other means, not shown, since means for anchoring devices of this kind are well known.

The base has two standards 7 and 8 and there is a bar 9 connecting the base sections so that the structure is rigid and durable.

The upper edge of the cross bar preferably has a wear plate or ratchet tooth 10 which is engaged by the teeth 11 of the ratchet or dog 12, the said dog being pivotally connected to a plate 13 of the swinging frame 14 which swinging frame constitutes two approximately vertically disposed members 15 and 16 with cross braces 17 and 18 and a head 19 which extends beyond the members 15 and 16 so that it is relatively long and provided with apertures 20 through which the clothes line such as'21 may extend and in which it may be anchored.

The swinging frame, it will be apparent, is capable of movement to increase or diminish the tension on the lines so that they may be stretched to a greater or less extent as required, and of course the swinging frame is held in different positions of adjustment by reason of the engagement of the teeth of the dog with the ratchet.

Any appropriate line may be employed, that is to say, it may be of rope, wire or other fieXible material.

In order to prevent undue strain on the ends of the supporting devices and increasing the lengths of the lines without liability of undue strain on the working parts of the apparatus, I have provided a prop 22 through which the lines 21 pass andthis prop may be moved toward either of the end supports or, if desired, it may be placed equi-distantly between them. I

The said prop comprises two bases23 and 245 having posts 23 and 24, which posts have braces 25 and 26 therebetween forming a framelike structure and the iipper ends of the said posts have recesses such as shown at 26 for the reception of a cross arm 27 which cross arm has a series of apertures 28 for the reception of the clothes line 21.

The construction, operation and 'advantages of the device will, it is thought, be apparent from the foregoing description, and the description of the functions of the elen'ients of the device is given in connection with the description of the said elements.

I claim: a

In a clothes line sup ort, a framelike structure including a horlzontally disposed apertured bar to which clothes lines may be connected, standards in spaced relation to each other between which the framelike structure is fitted, means for pivotally connecting the fralnelike structure to the said standards, a base for the said standards, a

10 dog pivotally connected to the said frame like structure, and a bar connecting the base sections and constituting a detent for engaging the dog for holding the frame at diiferent positions of adjustment.

7 his CHARLES X JOHNSON. mar: Witnesses:

R. E. ROBINSON, ADAM SPRING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

